Whether you know him as Pac-Man, the National Fist or senator Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao, there is no escaping the legend of Manny Pacquiao.
His fight in Las Vegas this weekend is his first since he turned 40 years old and the 60th since he turned professional two decades ago.
His first bout, as a 16-year-old in Manila, earned him $20. Yet the man who went on to become the world’s second highest-earning athlete in 2015 is expected to walk away from the MGM Grand Garden Arena with a cheque closer to $20 million.
But there is so much more to Pacquiao’s rags-to-riches story than the accumulation of wealth.
For his army of devoted fans of all nationalities around the world – and nowhere more so than in the UAE, where so many of his compatriots work – Pacquiao is nothing less than a symbol of hope.
All are familiar with the story of how the 14-year-old Pacquiao stowed away on a boat bound for Manila, determined to pursue his dream of becoming a boxer and fighting to free his family from abject poverty. In a very real sense, this is a tale that mirrors the aspirations of the millions of Filipinos who travel abroad to find work and send money and hope to their families back home.
There are more than two million Filipinos working around the world, with about 700,000 in the UAE alone. To each of them, whether domestic workers, gardeners, cleaners, nurses or sailors, Pacquiao is a hero whose story validates their own determination to work hard to help their long-distance families.
Whatever the outcome of the fight, Pacquiao, the only man ever to hold boxing titles in eight different weight categories, clearly has nothing left to prove.
The fact he is determined to go on proving it for the sake of his loyal fans says much about him.
Pacquiao, a man who achieved his aim, subsequently devoted himself to public service and donated more than a third of his career earnings to charity, stands as the very embodiment of upstanding, moral values.
Even those who do not follow boxing cannot help but be inspired by an icon whose humility and decency transcend the world of sport.
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
The National's picks
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Rating: 3.5/5
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Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
